Many props are due to producer Daddy Kev for getting Grouch to flow spoken word style, sing and rap all on the same project! As a member of the D.I.Y. kings of hip-hop, the Living Legends, the Grouch has consistently dropped honest, bare bones music. Crossing paths with Daddy Kev and DJ D-Styles on the short-runner Sound [cont.]

Question #1 Why, after all these years, does Das Efx feel the need to come back to hip hop and make their presence felt? Does Das remember the magic they created a decade ago with their smash hits “They Want Efx!?!?” & “Mic Checka”? If so, after all these years and in between, why now do they take [cont.]

     DMX has had one hell of a career. The animated emcee exploded onto the scene with his furious bark and his debut album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, blowing the door off the hinges. He became one with the streets with joints like “Get at me Dog” and “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” and became [cont.]

    Over the last few years, the ever-emerging Ohio scene has done a great job of defining itself, with a strong stable of artists that reside in different areas of the state, but sometimes come together for collaborative projects such as this one. Def Jux instrumental producer & sampler extroirdinaire, RJD2 , joins up with fellow [cont.]

Loudly proclaiming “dp’s got dat crazy shit!”, Stic.man and M-1 of Dead Prez were instrumental in making revolutionary hip-hop relevant again.  Not content to just bring a message, dp also provided melodic and invigorating beats that showed a commercial potential.  Sony’s decision to not release their 4.5 mic sophomore album, RBG: Revolutionary but Gangsta, and the [cont.]

    Obie Trice - real name no gimmicks. The well-known asshole. He keeps his heat right by the nuts. Moby? He could get stomped by Obie. Him big lips, you no teeth, it just wouldn’t look right. By now you’ve heard every Obie Trice quote or catch phrase, which pretty much means Shady Records has done a [cont.]

   After leaving a slew of lunch tabs on the expense accounts of major label reps, Atmosphere promptly dashed their prospective hopes (GASFACE) and instead inked a deal with the rock based imprint Epitaph. While the move surprised some, there’s no disputing that Seven’s Travels is Atmosphere’s most-important record to date, as it finds the group and [cont.]

     The Beat Junkies and Dilated Peoples helped dispel the notion that West Coast hip-hop is nothing but lowriders, blunts, and bitches.  The common denominator between both is the well-respected DJ and producer DJ Babu.  Following his critically acclaimed 2002 compilation, Duck Season Vol. 1; he uses the same format, same caliber of artists, and yields the [cont.]

Mathematics aka Norman Porter has entered his name on the ballot of producers trying to make a name for themselves. With the Neptunes, Kanye West, Just Blaze, and a host of others not only making dope records but also outshining the artists, the producer has become the focal point of music again. With so much emphasis [cont.]

Iomos Marad’s full length debut album Deep Rooted is the thoughtful emcee’s introduction to the world. As an All Natural emcee and a member of the Family Tree,Iomos flexes his lyrical prowess in the same vein as Mos Def, J-Live, Talib Kweli and others. Marad is deep-rooted in his family, in his city’s history, in hip-hop, in [cont.]

We’ve been waving the Apathy flag for a few years now, ever since he released that solid string of 12-inch singles on Bronx Science, back when co-pilot Celph Titled  was making shit happen over at Buds Distribution. Apathy struck while the iron was hot, being one of the last artists to survive the indy 12-inch boom, [cont.]

“They say ‘Big Boi can you pull it off without your nigga Dre?’ / I say ‘people stop the madness cause me and Dre be O.K.’ / Outkast, Cell Therapy to cell division / We just split it down the middle so you can see both the visions / Been spittin’ it damn near ten [cont.]

I’m not sure what exactly they do up there in Northern Cali, but whatever it is (especially in the Bay Area) it’s having some funkdafied results. Take the latest LP from Berkeley’s own Lyrics Born. As an original pioneer of the Solesides aesthetic, purveyor of general funkiness and gifted lyricist, LB was one half of [cont.]

Compilation – no rating given. Across the map, the global culture of hip hop has been growing almost limitless. And unlike the rap that’s easily carbon-copied via pop-happy songs affecting everyday life especially in the commercial world, Audio Research out of Montreal, Canada since 1997 have been staying focused and poised in keeping their 12″ [cont.]

Celebrity DJ, Mark Ronson popularized hardcore hip-hop sounds in ritzy New York nightclubs and uncharted territories such as the Hamptons.  Building a glitzy reputation and a network within different musical genres, it’s only appropriate that Sylvia Rhone, Elektra Records’ CEO, would tell him “Here’s a half a mil, make some hits of your own.”  Gathering a diverse [cont.]

     If Def Jux’s current line-up can be compared to the Wu-Tang Clan of ten years ago, than Aesop Rock is its Ghostface Killah. The two draw similar comparisons thanks to the fact that they both run in crews that feature a large amount of talent and unique personalities, backed by a producer that takes a [cont.]

Heads sometimes need to be snatched back to when hip-hop was fun. In a time where bullshit like “making the band” and women shaking their tail feather is ruling the airwaves, Jemini The Gifted One brings along new beatsmith DJ Danger Mouse to transport hip hop back to the mid-nineties, when it was all about [cont.]

MF Doom is like today’s generation’s Kool Keith. In the late 90′s, Keith resurrected his post-Ultramagnetic 80′s career with a series of solo albums such as Sex Style and Dr. Octagon, while the former Zev Luv X has done the same after the dissipation of his own 90′s crew, KMD, right around the same time. But while [cont.]

And then there were two…  Jedi Mind Tricks Visions Of Gandhi not only marks the end of the crews long sabbatical, but the first real glimpse of how the group will function as a duo.   While they may have been MIA for a minute, there is still a certain amount of allure attached to the group.  [cont.]

From the depths of New York City basements comes Babbletron. Comprised of emcees Cool Calm Pete and Jaymanilla with production provided by DJ Pre, Babbletron embodies the sound of Def Jux and conceives its own impression. With this being the second release from the Jukie affiliated Embedded imprint (the first being The Bedford Files) Babbletron comes foward [cont.]